Saddle mounted canteen



Feb. 17, 1970 R. L. MORAN SADDLE MOUNTED CANTEEN Filed Feb. 2, 1968 INVEN'IOR. ,elCA defi Z Mae/1w ozZ 4770 United States Patent 3,495,751 SADDLE MOUNTED CANTEEN Richard L. Moran, 5826 Tujunga, Apt. 4, North Hollywood, Calif. 91601 Filed Feb. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 702,611

Int. Cl. B684: 1/20 US. Cl. 224-43 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A saddle mounted canteen especially contrived to rest down on and conform to the convex skirt of a saddle, and to be pulled against and conform to the rearward face of'the cantle, which is generally also convexly curved. The usual so-called saddle strings of the saddle are strung diagonally back and tied to the ends of the canteen, with a snug tie, so that the canteen is pulled downwardly against the skirt, and forwardly against the cantle. The arrangement affords a secure, solid, bouncefree mounting for the canteen.

Field of the invention This invention relates to canteens and is concerned particularly with the provision of a novel canteen especially contrived to achieve a convenient, solid mounting on a saddle, and to means in combination with the canteen for securing such solid mounting.

Background of the invention In the past, there has never been contrived a canteen specifically adapted for mounting on a saddle To the present time, insofar as I am aware, no completely satisfactory method has ever been found for carrying water comfortably and entirely satisfactorily while riding on horseback. Ordinary canteens, such as used by campers and hikers, with shoulder straps, can of course be slung over the saddle horn, carried over the shoulder, or tied on in some fashion, but invariably bounce, rub, scrape against the bodies of the rider or horse, or both. Such canteens have interfered with mounting and dismounting, have limited the riders movements, and have contributed to discomfort, as well as being actually hazardous under some conditions.

Summary of the invention The canteen 0f the invention comprises a receptacle, preferably composed of a suitable plastic substance such as polyethylene. The receptacle has a concave bottom, for seating on the convex top of the skirt of a saddle, immediately to the rear of the cantle. The side face of the receptacle, adjacent to the cantle, is configured to mate with the geometric contour of the rearward surface of the latter; and in the usual case, therefore, with a convex arcuate rearward surface on the cantle, the forward engaging surface of the canteen receptacle is concave. Since the polyethylene material of the canteen is flexible to a degree, the canteen, when forced down on the skirt, and pulled tightly against the cantle, flexes suificiently to conform satisfactorily to these surfaces, notwithstanding certain differences in curvature or contour from one saddle to the next. The saddle strings" conventionally present on a modern saddle are stretched diagonally upwards and to the rear, and tied to the two ends of the canteen, being pulled tight enough to seat the canteen solidly on the saddle skirt and against the cantle, at the same time causing the somewhat flexibly walled canteen to conform to the contours of the saddle, as aforesaid. The height of the canteen is limited to the height of the saddle on which it is to be used, so as to avoid becoming an obstruction during mounting and dismounting. Other features of the canteen will appear in the drawings, and are described in the following detailed description of a present illustrative embodiment of the invention.

Description of the drawings Description "of the preferred embodiment indicated by the In the drawings, a saddle is shown at 10, on the back of a horse outlined at 11. The saddle has the usual skirt generally indicated at 12 resting on the back of the horse, and is of course convex upwardly. A seat 13 has at the rear a typical cantle 14, in this case, as is most usual, provided with a convex rearward surface 15, adjoining the upwardly convex portion of the skirt. The sad dle 10 has a horn 16 and other conventional parts, and includes especially so'called saddle strings 17, i.e., narrow straps, connected to the saddle, and emerging through rings 18 conventionally located on the saddle skirt somewhat downwardly of the top of the skirt, and forwardly of the rearward portion of the cantle.

The canteen is designated at 20, and! comprises a spe cially contoured receptacle composed preferably of a somewhat flexible or bendable plastics material such as polyethylene.

This receptacle has a concave bottom wall 21, adapted to conform to and seat down on the convex upper surface portion 12a of the saddle skirt 12. A front wall 22 is configured to fit the rearward surface of the cantle, which is sometimes relatively flat, but more usually convex rearwardly, as here shown. Thus, in the illustrative embodiment here shown, the forward wall is concave, so as to conform to the convex contour of the usual cantle.

The top wall 24 of the receptacle is preferably convex upwards, with an arcuate shape preferably somewhat flatter than that of the convex skirt portion 12a, so as to increase the volume of the receptacle, and at the same time afford an attractive appearance. However, as will be seen clearly in FIG. 2, the height of the illustrative receptacle does not and should not exceed the height of the top rim of the cantle, such as would cause it to become an obstruction in mounting or dismounting.

The canteen has a rearward wall 30', preferably convex, and which has preferably at its center a neck or spout 31, furnished with a closure cap 32.

The canteen is completed by end walls 34, and at about the center of each is a securement means 36 to which the aforementioned saddle strings 17 may be tied. This securement means may be a ring, hook, or the like, and in the present embodiment comprises a bar or bridgepiece 36 extending diametrically across a molded-in wall depression 37. The strings 17 on each side of the saddle are tied around the corresponding cross-piece 36, and are preferably tied so that the strings between the saddle and canteen end are quite taut. The strings 17, being on a diagonal, then pull the canteen, by its ends, both down wardly against the saddle skirt and forwardly against the cantle, into a secure solidly seated riding position. As mentioned hereinabove, the canteen is fabricated preferably of a somewhat flexible and conformable material, and, pulled down and forward by the diagonal strings 17,

its bottom concave wall 21, and its forward wall 15, conform, by a small bending action, to both the saddle skirt and the cantle, even in cases where the mating surfaces do not have a perfectly matching lit in the first instance. It is of course perferable that the bottom and forward surfaces be initially shaped to fit precisely the contours of a particular saddle. However, the feature here mentioned permits use of the canteen with full satisfaction in many cases in which the canteen has initial dimensions or contours which do not initially conform closely with the opposed, contacted surfaces on the saddle skirt and cantle.

It will be seen that I have provided a unique concept in that, instead of merely hanging a canteen from the saddle horn, for example, I have, first, secured the canteen solidly with the saddle; second, I have discovered a new, convenient, out-of-the-way location for the canteen; third, I have contoured the canteen to nest into the peculiarly shaped place discovered for it; fourth, I have discovered a simple and unique means of attachment for the canteen to the saddle; and, fifth, I have fabricated the canteen in such a manner and of such material, that, upon tensioning its fastening means, it will flex and conform closely with the contours of the saddle against which it is mounted.

I claim:

1. A canteen for mounting on a saddle having a skirt and a seat thereabove terminating at the rear in a cantle having a rearward surface, and said skirt including a convex portion immediately to the rear of said cantle, said canteen having:

a concave bottom Wall for seating on said convex portion of said skirt immediately adjacent to said cantle,

a forward wall configured to conform to said rearward surface of said cantle,

rearward, top and end walls to complete a receptacle said walls of said canteen being composed of a flexible plastic material to facilitate conformance to said convex portion of said skirt and to the rearward surface of said cantle, and

attachment means on said canteen through which said canteen can be solidly secured to said saddle,

said attachment means being located on the end walls of the canteen, and strap means connected to said attachment means, extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom, and connected to said saddle at the forward, lower ends thereof.

2. The subject matter of Claim 1, wherein the cantle has a convex rearward surface, and said straps pull forwardly on the ends of said canteen, and said straps, when tensioned, cause the flexible canteen to conform to the said convex rearward surface of said canteen.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 28,867 6/1860 Jenifer 5444 1,219,502 3/1917 Straus 224-43 2,504,738 4/ 1950 Shields W 224-43 3,203,604 8/ 1965 Spence.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 22442.42 

